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First buy
Adjustable dumbbells
If you do not have a pair yet, start here. This is the cheap first start, and it is still useful alone. If you already have a Bowflex or FitRx pair, do not buy another.
What this usually costs: typical street ranges as of Sep 2026, not a quote. Check the current listing. A first Bowflex or FitRx pair is often about $200 to $500. FitRx pairs often sit toward the low end of that band at major retailers. Bowflex first-range pairs often sit toward the middle to high end on the manufacturer page and at major retailers. Heavier ranges cost more. Do not take a price from this page.
This site starts from two brands: Bowflex and FitRx. Both sell a dial or twist pair that replaces a rack of fixed dumbbells. Named models below are the ones listed on manufacturer pages checked for this guide. Specs can change. Confirm the current listing before you order. Nobody at Rack and Plate is claiming to have used a particular unit.
This is a buying guide, not a store. If the pair you have still covers the work, skip to the order of buys. Mats and a pull-up bar are the small adds next. Then a power stand. A fold-down bench only if the room needs one. A full rack is later, and only if the stand is not enough.
What to check
Weight range, per dumbbell. A first pair that starts near 5 pounds and tops out in the low 50s covers most early pressing. A pair that starts at 10 and runs to 90 is the later range, not the default first buy.
Increment. Small jumps matter more at the light end. A listing that jumps 5 pounds the whole way is a different tool from one that steps 2.5 pounds up to 25.
Handle. How you change the weight, whether the grip is long enough for both hands on a floor press, and whether the plates lock before the dumbbell leaves the tray.
Footprint. The number that matters is the pair sitting in trays or on a rack, not the handle alone. Measure the patch of floor, including the walk around it.
Whether a stand is included. A tray that ships in the box is not the same as a vertical stand. Read the “sold separately” line.
Who should buy these
Buy a pair if the room has no dumbbells, or only a couple of fixed bells you have already outgrown. One adjustable pair is the whole first buy. Do not build a wall of singles, and do not buy a power stand to solve a missing-dumbbell problem.
Skip a new pair if you already own Bowflex or FitRx adjustables and the top weight still feels honest on a press or a row. Use the checks above on the pair you have. If the handle is slick, the lock is sloppy, or the top setting is a warm-up, replace that pair. Do not add a second brand beside it.
A heavier Bowflex or FitRx range is for someone whose work sets already sit above the mid-50s. It is a poor first buy if you still need the light end for laterals, curls, or a first press.
First range · Bowflex
Bowflex Results Series 552 SelectTech
What it is: Bowflex’s SelectTech pair in the 5 to 52.5 pound range. The manufacturer page lists 15 settings per dumbbell: 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, 17.5, 20, 22.5, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, and 52.5 pounds. That is 2.5-pound steps through 25 pounds, then 5-pound steps to 50, then 52.5. Weight changes on end dials. The page lists a locking mechanism, non-slip grips, and storage trays. Listed size per dumbbell is 16.9 by 8.3 by 9 inches. Sold as a pair. The SelectTech dumbbell stand is sold separately.
Bowflex also lists a Results Series 52 in the same 5 to 52.5 pound range, with a different plate shape. Treat that as the same buy. Confirm which listing you opened.
Who it is for: a first pair, or a replacement for a short stack of fixed dumbbells, when most work will sit between 5 and 52.5 pounds.
Confirm on the listing: the setting chart, that trays are in the carton, and the floor space of the pair once the trays are down. The per-dumbbell size is not the footprint of the set. Check the current listing.
Skip this if your work sets already live above 52.5 pounds. Look at the heavier Bowflex range instead of buying two light pairs.
What it is: the Bowflex SelectTech pair listed at 10 to 90 pounds. The manufacturer page lists 17 settings, in 5-pound steps from 10 through 90. Dials again. Knurled grips. Storage trays. Stand sold separately. Sold as a pair. Listed size per dumbbell is 17.5 by 9.5 by 10 inches. Bowflex also lists a Results Series 90 in the same range, with a different plate shape.
Who it is for: someone whose presses and rows already sit well above the mid-50s, and who does not need a 5-pound setting.
Confirm on the listing: that you can live without the weights under 10 pounds, and the footprint of the pair in the trays. Check the current listing.
Skip this as a first buy. The light end is gone, and the jump is 5 pounds the whole way.
What it is: FitRx’s SmartBell in the 5 to 52.5 pound range. The manufacturer page describes a one-handed quick-select: grip the handle and rotate it to the weight, with an anti-slip handle and a safety lock. It lists 15 weight configurations from 5 to 52.5 pounds, and a storage rack in the set. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission describes the same range as adjusting in 2.5-pound or 5-pound increments, with the dumbbell nested in the tray while you turn the handle. Confirm the step chart on the listing. Do not assume every step is 2.5 pounds.
FitRx also lists a 5 to 25 pound SmartBell and a SmartBell XL at 10 to 90 pounds, each with a storage rack on those pages. The 5 to 25 pound pair is only for light work. The XL is the heavier range, same logic as the Bowflex 1090: not the default first buy.
Who it is for: the same first-buy reader as the Bowflex 552, if you want the FitRx handle-turn adjuster and a rack that the manufacturer says is included.
Confirm on the listing: one dumbbell or a pair. The manufacturer page is written as a single dumbbell with a rack. You want a pair for pressing. Also confirm the rack footprint, and read the recall note below before you buy used or keep a pair you already own. Check the current listing.
Skip this if you already have a FitRx or Bowflex pair in a range you still use. Do not collect both brands.
Check the storage tray before the next session. The CPSC recall dated April 23, 2026 (recall 26-431) covers FitRx SmartBell Quick-Select 5 to 52.5 pound dumbbells, model 8361, only in these serial ranges: KK23288361 through KK23388361, and KK207608361 through KK21347836. The model and serial are on the side of the tray. The hazard on that notice is weight plates that can dislodge. If yours is in range, stop using it and follow the remedy on the notice. This is not a claim about every FitRx dumbbell. The notice is here: CPSC recall 26-431.
What this page does not decide
It does not pick a winner between Bowflex and FitRx. The cost line above is a street range, not a quote. A bench, plates, and a bar are not this buy. If the pair is in the room and it still works, the next page is floor mats, then the pull-up bar, then a power stand.
